The purpose of the whimsically illustrated series is to guide “children both big and small upon a journey through many of life's timeless questions. We intend for these books to send out ripples of joy, unity, and love, while providing subtle support to the ascension and enlightenment of our human family.”
“Just Be” features bulldogs, hamsters, and a young boy, who asks: “Have you ever seen a hamster run on its wheel? / Well, that’s how the thoughts in my mind often feel!” And more: “I’ve found myself wondering from time to time, / if my thoughts are like visitors, visiting my mind? // My thoughts create / whether or not they are said! // I must become mindful / of what hangs out in my head.”
The story is a journey toward that mindfulness, told in a way that children might understand. When the boy thinks about being “still and quiet” during restful sleep, he reasons that “perhaps in between all the learning and play, / I can ‘do’ like I sleep, / but in an awake sort of way.”
In fact, he says, “It’s totally obvious! / It’ll be easy, you’ll see. / I will take time in my day / to simply Just Be!”
In the midst of busyness one can breathe fresh air; when intruding thoughts come, “greet them / and thank them / then bid them good bye.” Be in nature, look at the clouds, sit by a tree, spend time with a friend. “I can sit by the fire / for an hour or five, / and ponder the miracle / of being alive.”
Mindfulness is a kind of “dance through my day” and though future dreams beckon and we “reflect on our past, / the moment of Now / is the moment to grasp.”
Chico’s Barnes & Noble bookstore will feature an author signing with Josh Shelton and illustrator Sam Pullenza on Saturday, August 30 at 11:00 a.m.; the public is invited.
